The story of the Church is an epic drama, filled with adventure, danger, politics, sacrifice, and courage. Sister Mary Lea Hill tells this exciting story in a book sure to thrill children ages 10 and up, taking readers on a whirlwind tour of Church history that will enlighten and entertain everyone.

Hill starts with the very beginnings of Christianity and goes on to the troubles of the early Church, the conversion of Constantine, the "days of danger" of the fifth-century persecutions, the mystery of the Dark Ages, the Great Schism, the different popes, saints, and missionaries, the Crusades, the breakaway of the Protestant Reformation, the dialogue between science and religion, political movements, and finally brings readers to the new evangelization of the 21st century.

Sometimes it's easy to feel disconnected from the past: this is true for families and countries, and it's also true for religions. The Church Rocks will help young readers reconnect with their collective history and understand how the past led to the present? and leads on still further into the future.

Features & Benefits:
Highlights of Church history are presented in an engaging way for children, parents, and teachers, with every chapter including:

Fun fictional "eyewitness accounts" to make events come alive

Additional "factoids," small snippets of information

"Once upon a word," providing explanations of word meanings

Timelines, so that readers can see events in relation to each other

A prayer relating to the situations and people in the chapter

Brief biographies or "snapshots" of each major character

A "mystery of history" that sparks curiosity about mysteries of the past

The "latest and greatest" tying Church-related episodes to concurrent events in the secular world

"On the record" excerpts from historic accounts and quotes from major players

Activities that complement information, and resources for further exploration

About the Author:

Sister Mary Lea Hill has been sharing her dry wit and offbeat wisdom with the Daughters of St. Paul since 1964. An experienced writer and editor, she has written a number of books, including Prayer and You: Wit and Wisdom from a Crabby Mystic and Blessed are the Stressed. Sister Lea currently carries out the Pauline mission in St. Louis, Missouri, and shares her signature humor with the rest of the world on Twitter @crabbymystic.
Product Details:

Katherine Bognersays... This is such a fun and approachable history text of the story of the Church from the time of Christ up until the the New Evangelization era of Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. I could see it being used as an actual textbook for a Church history unit, but also will serve well as a resource for any upper elementary or middle school classroom. There is an index at the end of the book for those looking up a specific event or era, but conveniently the book is broken into 21 chapters for the 21 Centuries of the Church. Want to read about the Roman Martyrs in the 3rd Century? Turn to Chapter 3. I think my only criticism of the book is the cover- the design and font are not nearly as appealing as the design of the interior of the book. Once opened, it is attractive and compelling, and I think will be a page turner for a lot of kids- but first they have to pick it up. It also would be lovely to have the interior, especially the art, printed in color. While the whole book is in black and white, it is chock full of holy art, drawings, photographs, timelines, info boxes, etc. making it really fun to flip through. Info also includes Saints and leaders of the times, inventions, what was happening around the world, and more. ***Pauline Books & Media provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Wainscottsays... Wonderful! I just completed it. There is so much I thought I knew that surprised me. The material is presented in a reader-friendly way and the text is printed in several different formats, making the process of reading more enjoyable. This is a great book for anyone, any age, seeking to know more about the history of our Church.

Pauline Books and Media is the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul. We are all about helping you discover hope in your life. That's because we believe that Christ, our ultimate hope, is the Light revealing to each person the mystery and meaning of their life.

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